BERLIN — A German zoo says one of its polar bears has died after apparently swallowing a jacket or bag dropped into his enclosure by a visitor.

The Wilhelma zoo in Stuttgart said Tuesday that zookeepers realized something was wrong with 25-year-old Anton when he started vomiting pieces of fabric. The bear died early Monday of severe intestinal injuries.

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The zoo says it’s not clear why Anton ate the object rather than tearing it apart, as he usually did with things that landed in his enclosure. His keepers suspect there was something tasty inside that the bear couldn’t resist.

The zoo appealed to visitors to report the loss of large objects — allowing zookeepers to remove them quickly. It says it previously lost an elephant seal that swallowed a toy animal.

EPA / Wilhelma / HandoutVarious fabric and plastic parts which were found in the stomach and intestine of the deceased polar bear Anton at the zoo Wilhelma in Stuttgart, Germany

]]>http://news.nationalpost.com/news/german-polar-bear-dies-of-severe-intestinal-injuries-after-apparently-eating-fabric-dropped-into-enclosure/feed1stdAnton in his enclosure in Stuttgart in 2008. The Wilhelma zoo in Stuttgart said Tuesday that zookeepers realized something was wrong with 25-year-old Anton when he started vomiting pieces of fabricEPA / Wilhelma / HandoutWatch the Toronto Zoo’s baby polar bear take its wobbly, adorable first steps in intensely cute new videoshttp://news.nationalpost.com/toronto/watch-the-toronto-zoos-baby-polar-take-its-wobbly-adorable-first-steps-in-explosively-cute-new-videos
http://news.nationalpost.com/toronto/watch-the-toronto-zoos-baby-polar-take-its-wobbly-adorable-first-steps-in-explosively-cute-new-videos#commentsWed, 08 Jan 2014 18:25:01 +0000http://news.nationalpost.com/?p=411696

The Toronto Zoo has released four new videos video of its baby polar bear, including one of the young cub’s first wobbly steps and one of the cub making contented, purring-like “trilling” sounds.

The as-yet-unnamed cub is the “small survivor” of the three baby polar bears born on November 9, 2013, taken from his mother after his siblings didn’t survive their first 48 hours.

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The zoo says the two-month-old continues to make great progress — he can open his eyes and focus on his surroundings, is teething and no longer needs to be kept in an incubator but remains in a temperature-controlled environment.

“We hope that he will grow up to become another ambassador for his species, highlighting threats to the arctic environment,” said Dr. Graham Crawshaw, senior veterinarian, in a press release.

The cub is being closely monitored by a team of veterinary and wildlife care experts in their ongoing effort to help save polar bears and educate others on how to help these animals.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrPpj0MXB-s&w=620&h=400]

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZsSsUC1_Kg&w=620&h=400]

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfvBTh5w6IY&w=620&h=400]
]]>http://news.nationalpost.com/toronto/watch-the-toronto-zoos-baby-polar-take-its-wobbly-adorable-first-steps-in-explosively-cute-new-videos/feed4stdThe Toronto Zoo's baby polar bear takes his first wobbly steps in stills from a video released on WednesdayMan, 69, steps out of house to check out 'commotion,' is attacked by polar bearhttp://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/man-69-steps-out-of-house-to-check-out-commotion-is-attacked-by-polar-bear
http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/man-69-steps-out-of-house-to-check-out-commotion-is-attacked-by-polar-bear#commentsSat, 02 Nov 2013 00:05:41 +0000http://news.nationalpost.com/?p=384387

A 69-year-old man who stepped outside his Churchill, Man., home to investigate a “commotion” on the street at about 5 a.m. Friday was attacked by a polar bear, before another resident scared the bear off with his car.

A 30-year-old woman, one of three pedestrians who had been confronted by the bear, was also injured, said RCMP spokeswoman Tara Seel.

“It was right in the town,” she said. “Pedestrians were walking in the town and were surprised by a polar bear. A homeowner heard the commotion and exited his home, at which time he was attacked by the polar bear.

“Another local resident was driving a vehicle and charged it toward the bear and scared the bear off.”

The man and woman were taken to hospital, where they were in stable condition Friday. Police said the man suffered multiple lacerations.

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Resident Joe Myles said on his Facebook site that he saw three bears. Mr. Myles wrote that he was outside having a cigarette break during his night shift at a hotel when a co-worker yelled about a bear sighting.

“I ran out to see a huge mama bear and her cub scurrying across the street from the back alley. Then we started hearing shots, then screaming and yelling, then more shots.”

Mr. Myles said another bear came up the alley and “stopped and stared.”

“We creeped back towards the door and had it half open just in case it came at us. Inside, the morning cook was frying bacon, which obviously interested the bear.”

When the bruin made a move towards them, they ran inside and shut the door.

The sightings were reported to Manitoba Conservation, who were able to respond quickly, said spokesman Glen Cassie.

Officers had been patrolling Churchill earlier that night as part of their regular precautions on Halloween night. Several conservation officers circled the town in a helicopter to see if there are any bears around eyeing trick-or-treaters. Emergency vehicles were set up around the perimeter with their lights flashing to deter any curious creatures from checking out candy bags.

Several bears had been pushed back from town, and the officers had just ended their patrol, Mr. Cassie said.

“They were back on the scene within minutes.”

He said one bear was shot and wounded. As officers tracked it, they came across a second bear and shot it dead. The injured bear was found shortly after, dead.

When an attack has occurred and now there’s other people out on the street trying to get people and rescue somebody that’s injured, [officers] sometimes have to take additional measures

Mr. Cassie said it’s not normal practice to automatically shoot bears within the town, but the situation required it.

“When an attack has occurred and now there’s other people out on the street trying to get people and rescue somebody that’s injured, [officers] sometimes have to take additional measures.”

The cub was tranquilized and taken to a holding facility. Mr. Cassie couldn’t say what will be done with it.

More than 7,000 academics are gathered in Victoria, B.C., this week for the annual Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences, presenting papers on everything from the errant lessons of Grey’s Anatomy to Justin Trudeau’s political brand power. In this week-long series, the National Post showcases some of the most interesting research.

To scientists in the Western European tradition, Ursus maritimus is a carnivorous vertebrate mammal of the Ursidae family with an Arctic habitat, first identified by science in 1774.

This rigid definition of the polar bear reflects a long-standing urge to categorize and label the natural world, which can be traced back from the modern taxonomy, invented by the 18th-century Swedish biologist Carl Linnaeus, to the efforts of the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle to separate the world into plants, animals, and men.

Inuit, traditionally, do not think this way about Nanuq, a creature with whom they share a reciprocal relationship and who is even thought to sometimes willingly submit to death out of charity for the hunter.

Often described as “holistic,” the Inuit world view is ill-suited to the scientific method, in which elements of nature are poked, prodded, labelled, numbered and experimented upon in isolation. Transmitted more through oral stories than abstract theories, this perspective is often called Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit, or IQ for short, and is an important founding political principle of Nunavut.

In a presentation to this week’s humanities conference in Victoria, Jill Fellows, a University of British Columbia science philosopher, describes how trust can bridge the divide between science and IQ in polar bear conservation efforts.

“Some Inuit communities take the position that scientific research — because it treats polar bears as objects of study, not subjects in their own right — cannot produce accurate knowledge with regard to polar bear populations,” Ms. Fellows writes.

“Thus, Inuit communities may reject scientific knowledge claims not only because there is a history of exploitation, but also because they do not accept the ontological and epistemic premises underpinning the research.”

THE ANCHORAGE PRESS, THE ALASKA DISPATCHKali, the orphaned male polar bear cub from Point Lay, Alaska, explores the enclosure outside the infirmary at the Alaska Zoo, Friday, March 22, 2013, in Anchorage, Alaska.

The divide between “Southern” science and IQ is neither clean nor clear. Many non-Inuit scholars romanticize pre-contact aboriginal peoples, and many modern Inuit study and learn in much the same culture as anyone else.

As an objective pursuit of knowledge, science is meant to overcome the trust problem by allowing people to ignore the messenger and evaluate the message, whether it is about sport hunting, shrinking ice cover, food scarcity or sightings of polar bears in Arctic villages.

It is a nice ideal, but most people involved in conservation efforts are not scientists and, even when done properly, science rarely dictates policy. Biases, therefore, lurk around every corner, from the income Inuit make from hosting trophy hunters and the sale of pelts to the use of the polar bear as a political icon of climate activists.

Trust, therefore, is crucial but, as Ms. Fellows puts it in an interview: “How are we going to build workable trusting relationships if we can’t accept the claims of each other as true?”

She calls this the problem of competing ontologies, ontology being a philosophical term for the study of being.

“When it comes to trusting experts, it really does come back to trusting the individual persons or the institutions, rather than the stand-alone claim,” she said.

“So while we see science as something that’s supposed to allow us to move past the issue of trusting the individual person, if I don’t understand the scientific methods involved or I don’t agree with them — and it might be both those things at once — then it seems that I come back to the question of whether I can trust the person.”

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan HaywardA polar bear stands on a ice flow in Baffin Bay above the arctic circle as seen from the Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker Louis S. St-Laurent on July 10, 2008.

Marginalized groups, such as Inuit, have particular reason to worry. She cited the notorious Tuskegee syphilis experiment in Alabama, in which the disease was allowed to progress untreated in poor blacks who had been misled about the public health program’s real intentions.

“The medical research involved was sound, but it was ethically horrific,” she said.

Inuit are faced with a similar quandary: “Even when the scientific method is sound, do I trust what these people are going to do with the knowledge claims they are making?”

Just as Inuit seek wisdom from elders, so do scientists seek it from experts, especially on questions they are unable to answer themselves, which brings them back to the thorny question of trust.

“You end up adjudicating based on the reputation of the institution or the reputation of the individual,” Ms. Fellows said.

The Toronto Zoo introduced its latest addition on Friday: a 14-week old polar bear cub whose name is, well, Yet To Be Determined. The cub, who will be named via an online contest sponsored by the zoo, had a rough start to life. He is the only survivor of a litter of three whose mother, 10-year old Aurora, rejected the cubs at birth in October. Amidst a veritable media frenzy, Yet To Be Determined made his debut Friday and yes, he is pretty damned cute.

9:45 I arrive at the zoo entrance to find out that I’m actually supposed to be at the administration building at the other end of the park. It’s a 10-minute walk to “Tundra Park,” and the temperature is doing everything it can to live up to the pavilion’s apt name.

10:15 The Toronto Zoo can be a bit of a labyrinth if you don’t know your way around. After a few wrong turns, I finally arrive at my destination. The local media are out in force and zoo officials are on hand to greet us along with a pack of arctic wolves who have been howling all morning in what seems like a desperate bid for attention.

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10:20 Still 10 minutes to go before things get started, so that’s enough time to check out the actual polar bear den to see what the bears are up to. It’s just Aurora, mother of the new cub, who is up and about. She is perched on top of a rock in her enclosure, hungrily eyeing a pack of reindeer on a nearby hill.

10:25 Word spreads quickly about a shooting in the east end of the city, prompting a few television crews to abandon the impending arrival of cuteness and rush to their vehicles.

10:30 The show begins with senior zoo vet Dr. Graham Crawshaw giving a rundown of why this cub is so special. “Traditionally, [polar bears] are very hard to raise by hand from such and early stage,” Dr. Crawshaw says. “[The cub] weighed just 700 grams, which is remarkable when you consider as an adult he’s going to be four or five hundred kilos.”

10:45 With the formalities out of the way, it is time to see the new cub. We are led into an outdoor theatre where we can see the cub’s new habitat through a wall of double-paned glass. The media are nice enough to let two small children through to the front where they have the best seat in the house. Nice media. That the children make for an extra cute foreground to the subject of their attention has nothing to do with it.

10:50 After five anxious minutes, the cub emerges and heads straight for the window where he greets the children. Right on cue. He is all paws and fur, but even the most curmudgeonly of reporters can be seen mouthing a silent “awwwwww,” in his direction.

National Post

]]>http://news.nationalpost.com/posted-toronto/new-kid-at-the-toronto-zoo/feed0stdToronto Zoo’s new polar bear cub made his debut Friday. He is the only survivor of a litter of three whose mother rejected the cubs at birth in October.Photos: The Toronto Zoo’s new polar bear cub makes his debuthttp://news.nationalpost.com/photos/photos-the-toronto-zoos-new-polar-bear-cub-makes-his-debut
http://news.nationalpost.com/photos/photos-the-toronto-zoos-new-polar-bear-cub-makes-his-debut#commentsFri, 03 Feb 2012 18:28:59 +0000http://nationalpostnews.wordpress.com/?p=137001

The Toronto Zoo’s newest ursine attraction, a 14-week-old polar bear cub, made his debut on Friday.

The Canadian beaver has suffered yet another setback after the City of Ottawa began trapping rodents that had set up residence in a stormwater pond in the city’s Stittsville area. Local residents are up in arms at the idea of a beaver slaughter in the nation’s capital, even if the animals’ dams put their neighbourhood at risk of a flood. Stittsville councillor Shad Qadri explains to the Post’s Tamsin McMahon why there’s nothing ironic in Ottawa’s fight against the mighty beaver:

Q: What have the beavers been up to?A: Right now they’ve done just damage in and around the pond. In the area where the beavers are chopping trees down not only is that a problem, but the other fact is they’re damming up the stormwater management pond. In this case, the beaver has done some major damage to the trees in and around the pond and the concern is if we let it continue then it becomes another issue in terms of the water flow into the culverts or into the area where the water will be going.

Q: If residents like them, why not let them stay?A: It’s not only a problem in that part of the pond. It’s an issue across the city in any sort of stormwater management pond where the beaver will inhabit the area and start cutting trees down and start blocking the water flow into the culverts or into the area where the water will be going.
Residents have said why don’t we wrap the bottom of the tree with chicken wire? The concern there is if we do that around the pond then the beaver is still looking for the resources that it needs to build its dam. It’ll go into the neighbour’s back yard start cutting trees or city trees for that matter.

Q: Why not just move them?A: They can only be moved within 1km of the original habitat. They do come back. Beavers are a territorial animal.

Q: How big an issue has this become?A: I was made aware of this issue three weeks ago by a couple of residents. I guess they saw a trap being set in the pond and that’s when the concern was raised by the residents.
Up until Friday afternoon or evening, I had roughly 35-40 different calls into my office regarding this issue, of which only about 14-15 were from Stittsville. The rest of them were from as far away as Vancouver. I guess a Vancouver wildlife group decided to email. Today I received probably another 40 more emails and phone calls. So we’re up to about 90 issues raised with my office about this item.

Q: Were you surprised by the outcry over trapping a few beavers?A: I’m not surprised because I think wildlife is important and I agree with that. I’m not there, or the city is not out there to harm the wildlife in a way that if we could do something different, we would. But in this case stormwater management ponds have to be protected and respected because of the function that they perform for a much larger community.

Q: Does it send the wrong messages for the nation’s capital to be trapping and killing the national emblem?A: I respect all of that. But the issue for us is one beaver, two beavers, is it worth flooding a neighbourhood?

Q: Senator Nicole Eaton recently called on the government to replace the beaver with the polar bear as the nation’s symbol. What do you think of her proposal?A: I’m not going to comment on Senator Eaton’s proposal. This is about a stormwater management pond and it’s not really fair for me to combine the two issues into one. What I think she is proposing is a different item than what we’re discussing today about the beavers here in Stittsville. From that perspective, in this particular case, because of the city infrastructure involved the beaver is a nuisance.

Q: The beaver has become a nuisance in Ottawa?A: The beaver is not becoming a nuisance in this city. The beaver is a nuisance in this infrastructure where the issue is. In the city of Ottawa, there’s all kinds of beaver wildlife areas in the city where beavers do live and thrive in. But in terms of an urban growth area, with infrastructure that is meant to do a certain function, it is becoming an issue.

Q: So there’s no war on the beaver in Ottawa?
A: From my perspective, definitely not.

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]]>http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/city-of-ottawa-joins-fight-against-the-beaver/feed1stdResidents of the Stittsville area of Ottawa are outraged over the city's plans to trap and kill beavers living in a nearby stormwater management pond.Photos of the Day, Nov. 1, 2011http://news.nationalpost.com/photos/photos-of-the-day-nov-1-2011
http://news.nationalpost.com/photos/photos-of-the-day-nov-1-2011#commentsTue, 01 Nov 2011 15:12:02 +0000http://news.nationalpost.com/?p=104997

Today’s best photos from around the world selected by the Photo Editors of the National Post

Photo by Matthew Lloyd/Getty ImagesBritish Gas engineer Martin Caulfield, 69, services and cleans a gas lamp in Westminster on October 31, 2011 in London, England. Caulfield has been looking after the traditional lights since 1982. There are still around 1600 left in the capital. (

Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty ImagesA baby hippopotamus lies next to its mother on the first day it was presented to the public at the Zoo Berlin zoo on November 1, 2011 in Berlin, Germany. The baby hippo was born at the zoo on October 23.

Photo by Daniel Berehulak /Getty ImagesA woman pulls her daughter behind her in a small raft as she walks along a flooded street, near to the overflowing Chao Phraya river on November 1, 2011 in Bangkok, Thailand. Around 370 people have died in flood-related incidents since late July according to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation. Thailand is experiencing the worst flooding in 50 years with damages running as high as USD 6 billion which could increase as the floods swamp Bangkok.

Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty ImagesThe morning light illuminates the autumn leaves on trees near the Bishops Castle near Wells Cathedral on November 1, 2011 in Wells, England. According to a number of nature watchers the autumn colours are currently reaching their peak following an unusually warm September and October which has led to trees holding onto their leaves longer than normal.

Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty ImagesThe morning light illuminates the autumn leaves on trees on November 1, 2011 in Bath, England. According to a number of nature watchers the autumn colours are currently reaching their peak following an unusually warm September and October which has led to trees holding onto their leaves longer than normal.

ANTARCTIC OCEAN ALLIANCE/AFP/Getty ImagesAn undated handout photo released on November 1, 2011 by the Antarctic Ocean Alliance shows a peguin as it lands on the Antarctic ice. Conservationists called November 1, 2011 for the world's biggest marine protection zone to be declared around Antarctica, heralding the possibility of a global fight over its pristine waters.

MOHAMMED HUWAIS/AFP/Getty ImagesYemeni protesters demand the ouster of President Ali Abdullah Saleh during a pro-reform demonstration in central Sanaa on November 1, 2011. Saleh, in power for 33-years, has refused to heed regional and international calls to step down, and his military forces have launched a brutal crackdown on protesters that has left hundreds dead and thousands more wounded.

SERGEY POLEZHAKA/AFP/Getty ImagesAn elderly woman fights with a policeman during a protest action in front of the parliament in Kiev, on November 1, 2011. About 1,000 Ukrainian veterans of the clean-up from the Chernobyl nuclear disaster tried to storm parliament in Kiev in outrage at planned benefit cuts, an AFP correspondent reported. In September, lawmakers gave initial approval to a bill cutting back benefits paid to those who helped clean up the April 1986 nuclear disaster and those who still live on the affected lands. However due to recent protests the parliament has not taken further action.

NOAH SEELAM/AFP/Getty ImagesIndian Hindu devotees offer prayers to the sun during The Chhath Festival on the banks of the Hussain Sagar lake in Hyderabad on November 1, 2011. The Chhath festival is observed in the eastern part of India, where homage is paid to the sun and water Gods eights days after Diwali, the festival of lights.

KARIM SAHIB/AFP/Getty ImagesSaudi Arabia's deputy foreign minister, Prince Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah (R), and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) secretary general, Abdul Latif al-Zayyani, exchange a traditional kiss on the sidelines of a meeting to discuss dialogue between the six-nation GCC and Russia in Abu Dhabi on November 1, 2011.

SERGEY POLEZHAKA/AFP/Getty ImagesAn elderly woman shouts near policeman during a protest action against cuts in benefits for veterans of the Chernobyl clean-up, in front of the parliament in Kiev, on November 1, 2011. About 1,000 Ukrainian veterans of the clean-up from the Chernobyl nuclear disaster tried to storm parliament in Kiev in outrage at planned benefit cuts, an AFP correspondent reported. In September, lawmakers gave initial approval to a bill cutting back benefits paid to those who helped clean up the April 1986 nuclear disaster and those who still live on the affected lands. However due to recent protests the parliament has not taken further action.

REUTERS/Mathieu BelangerA red-crowned crane is seen at the St-Felicien Wildlife Zoo in St-Felicien, Quebec, October 31, 2011. The red-crowned crane is on the red list of endangered species released by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and its population continues to decline.

REUTERS/China DailyA giant panda cub lies on a log at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Chengdu, Sichuan province November 1, 2011.

REUTERS/Jason LeeA model presents a creation for MGPIN make-up styling show during China Fashion Week in Beijing November 1, 2011.

REUTERS/Dylan MartinezA man strolls past a mural on a street corner in Cannes, southern France November 1, 2011. Cannes will be hosting a two-day G20 summit from November 3.

REUTERS/Bobby YipThe sun shines from behind two office towers in Hong Kong November 1, 2011. Office rents in Hong Kong, the world's most expensive office market, could fall by 40 percent if the economy suffers a hard landing, according to a property analyst.

REUTERS/Navesh ChitrakarNepalese police arrest a Tibetan woman during a protest in Kathmandu November 1, 2011. About 20,000 Tibetans live in Nepal with valid refugee papers, while many are believed to be residing illegally. With China's influence over Nepal increasing, the Nepalese government's stands strong against Tibetans exiles whose protests in support of their homeland has increased in recent years. Nepal ceased issuing refugee papers to Tibetans in 1989 and recognizes Tibet to be a part of China.

REUTERS/Adrees Latif Airplanes are reflected in flood waters in Bangkok's domestic Don Muang airport at dawn on November 1, 2011. Nearly 400 people have been killed in months of floods that have disrupted the lives of more than 2 million. Don Muang, used by budget airlines for domestic flights and by private planes, has been closed since Oct. 25.

REUTERS/Danish SiddiquiA Hindu devotee offers prayers to the Sun god along the shores of the Arabian Sea during the "Chhat" festival in Mumbai November 1, 2011. Devotees worship the Sun god and fast all day for the betterment of their family and society during the festival.

REUTERS/Danish SiddiquiA Hindu devotee offers prayers to the Sun god along the shores of the Arabian Sea during the "Chhat" festival in Mumbai November 1, 2011. Devotees worship the Sun god and fast all day for the betterment of their family and society during the festival.

PUNIT PARANJPE/AFP/Getty ImagesIndian Hindu devotee offers prayers to the sun during The Chhath Festival at the beach in Mumbai on November 1, 2011. The Chhath festival is observed by people where devotees pray to the sun and water Gods eights days after Diwali, the festival of lights.

]]>http://news.nationalpost.com/photos/photos-of-the-day-nov-1-2011/feed2galleryA polar bear shakes off water from its body at the St-Felicien Wildlife Zoo in St-FelicienMartin Caulfield Services Some Of The Last Remaining Gas Street Lamps In The CapitalBaby Hippopotamus Presentation At Berlin ZooThai Residents Brace Against Rising Flood Waters In BangkokSpectacular Autumn Colours Are Seen After Mild Temperatures Over The Last Two MonthsSpectacular Autumn Colours Are Seen After Mild Temperatures Over The Last Two Monthsjeffisgr8t-6103325jeffisgr8t-7103325-jeffisgr8t-9103325jeffisgr8t-10103325-A red-crowned crane is seen at the St-Felicien Wildlife Zoo in St-FelicienA giant panda cub lies on a log at Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in ChengduA model presents a creation for MGPIN make-up styling show in BeijingA man strolls past a mural on a street corner in Cannes, southern FranceThe sun shines from behind two office towers in Hong KongNepalese police arrest a Tibetan woman during a protest in KathmanduAirplanes are reflected in flood waters at dawn in Bangkok's domestic Don Muang airport at dawnA Hindu devotee offers prayers to the Sun god along the shores of the Arabian Sea during the "Chhat" festival in MumbaiA Hindu devotee offers prayers to the Sun god along the shores of the Arabian Sea during the "Chhat" festival in Mumbaijeffisgr8t-3124637Updated: British teen mauled to death by polar bear in Norwayhttp://news.nationalpost.com/news/tourist-killed-by-polar-bear-in-norway
http://news.nationalpost.com/news/tourist-killed-by-polar-bear-in-norway#commentsFri, 05 Aug 2011 18:39:11 +0000http://news.nationalpost.com/?p=83602

OSLO — A British teen who dreamed of becoming a doctor was mauled to death by a polar bear Friday, and four other members of his Norwegian Arctic expedition were injured, officials and organisers said.

The bear was shot and killed after attacking the camp site of 13 people on a five-week expedition trip run by a British group to Norway’s Svalbard archipelago.

“The boy who died was 17,” Svalbard deputy governor Lars Erik Alfheim told AFP, with his office adding in a subsequent statement that the four injured Britons were 16, 17, 27 and 29 years of age.

The deceased was Horatio Chapple, said the British Schools Exploring Society (BSES), an organisation founded in 1932 “to provide young people with an intense and lasting experience of self-discovery in some of the world’s last true wilderness environments around today.”

“Horatio was a fine young man hoping to go on to read medicine after school,” the London-based group’s chairman Teddy Watson said.

“We and the Norwegian authorities are currently establishing the full circumstances of his tragic death and will not be releasing this until we have discussed it fully with the family,” he added.

According to local media, the group was attacked while still in their tents.

The four injured people all sustained “serious head injuries, but have been stabilised,” Alfheim said.

They were first brought to a hospital in Longyearbyen, but were then airlifted to a hospital in Tromsoe in the north of the Norwegian mainland.

The attack happened early Friday near the Von Post glacier in the Tempel Fjord, about 40 kilometres from the archipelago’s capital Longyearbyen.

Police received a distress satellite phone call from the campers, and quickly sent in helicopters since there were no roads to the site of the attack.

The eight uninjured campers — aged between 16 and 20 — were in the care of “competent personnel” in Longyearbyen, the district governor’s office said.

The British embassy in Oslo said on its website the ambassador was “leading a consular team to Tromsoe to provide assistance”, and Mr. Watson said the BSES executive director was en route to Svalbard.

The tragedy happened just days after the expedition’s participants said in a blog post how excited they were about seeing polar bears on their trip.

“Everyone was in good spirits because we encountered another P.bear floating on the ice, this time we were lucky enough to borrow a kind Norwegian guide’s telescope to see it properly,” a July 27 entry said.

“After that experience I can say for sure that everyone dreamt of P.bears that night.”

The Barents Sea area is home to around 3,000 polar bears, which is slightly more than the number of people living on Svalbard.

Attacks are not uncommon, and according to unique warning signs it is illegal to leave a human settlement without carrying a gun.

Locals however try to scare the animals away and only shoot them as a last resort.

Accordig to Norway’s TV2, Friday’s attack was the first deadly polar bear attack on Svalbard since 1995.

]]>http://news.nationalpost.com/news/tourist-killed-by-polar-bear-in-norway/feed0stdA road sign sporting a polar bear notifing motorists of their presence is seen outside the arctic town of Longyearbyen, on February 25, 2008 in NorwayPhotos of the Day, July 26, 2011http://news.nationalpost.com/news/photos-of-the-day-july-26-2011
http://news.nationalpost.com/news/photos-of-the-day-july-26-2011#commentsTue, 26 Jul 2011 14:23:03 +0000http://news.nationalpost.com/?p=81469

Today’s best photos from around the world selected by the Photo Editors of the National Post

Feng Li/Getty ImagesHanae Ito (Below) and Haruka Ueda of Japan competes in the Women's 200m Freestyle heats during Day Eleven of the 14th FINA World Championships at the Oriental Sports Center on July 26, 2011 in Shanghai, China.

REUTERS/David GrayJeremy Stravius of France competes during the men's 100m backstroke final at the 14th FINA World Championships in Shanghai July 26, 2011.

REUTERS/Rogan WardA wave crashes into a ship which broke free from a tow line at Sheffield Beach some 60km (37 miles) north of Durban, July 26, 2011. The ship subsequently ran aground.

REUTERS/Sergei KarpukhinChildren cool down in a fountain, with the air temperature at about plus 33 degrees Celsius (91.4 degrees Fahrenheit), in central Moscow July 26, 2011.

REUTERS/Amit DaveRelatives and family members of the victims scatter rose petals at one of the sites of the July 26, 2008 serial bomb blasts during a prayer ceremony in Ahmedabad July 26, 2011. At least 46 people were killed in a succession of bomb blasts on July 26, 2008, most of them in the communally sensitive city of Ahmedabad in the western state of Gujarat.

SONNY TUMBELAKA/AFP/Getty ImagesPeople carry offerings on their heads during a Melasti ceremony prayer at Kuta beach in Denpasar on the island of Bali on July 26, 2011. Melasti is a purification ritual in which the sea is used to wash away the impurities of life.

NOEL CELIS/AFP/Getty ImagesA high school student wades through a flooded street after a heavy rain caused by typhoon Nock-ten in San Juan city, east of Manila on July 26, 2011. One person drowned while thousands fled their flooded homes as a tropical storm hit the Philippines, causing heavy rains and rough seas that disrupted aviation and shipping, officials said.

PRAKASH SINGH/AFP/Getty ImagesIndian armed forces personnel react to the heat during a march at India Gate after a tribute ceremony to commemorate twelve years since the victory of the Kargil war in New Delhi on July 26, 2011. The Kargil war was an armed conflict between India and Pakistan in the Kargil district of Kashmir, between May and July 1999. The conflict led to heightened tension between the two nations and a noticeable increase in national military spending.

FRANCOIS XAVIER MARIT/AFP/Getty ImagesIn a picture taken with an underwater camera France's Yannick Agnel competes in the final of the men's 200-metre freestyle swimming event in the FINA World Championships at the indoor stadium of the Oriental Sports Center in Shanghai on July 26, 2011.

Gareth Cattermole/Getty ImagesA mourner holds a photograph of Amy Winehouse on the way to a funeral service for singer Amy Winehouse at Edgwarebury Lane cemetery on July 26, 2011 in London, England. The singer was found dead in her North London flat on July 23, 2011.

Ezra Shaw/Getty ImagesMichael Phelps of the United States dives to start the Men's 200m Butterfly Semi Final during Day Eleven of the 14th FINA World Championships at the Oriental Sports Center on July 26, 2011 in Shanghai, China.

OTTAWA CITIZEN/JULIE OLIVERReactions ranged from laughter to embarrassment as shoppers in the Byward Market were treated to four male models trotting around in their boxer shorts Tuesday. The spectacle was for a good cause however - the Moores Canadian Suit Drive. With the slogan "Give the suit off your back," Moores Clothing for Men stores want to help fight male unemployment by donating suits. Last year they donated 15,000 suits for people looking for work who can't afford to buy a new outfit for their interviews. This year, the store will discount 50 per cent off everything when you donate a gently-used article of clothing (mens , ladies, children's clothes also welcome). The male models here include (from left): Max Engel and Francky Oliver.

ESA/NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute/AFP/Getty ImagesThis handout picture released on July 26th by NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) shows at least four distinct plumes of water ice spewing out from the south polar region of Saturn's moon Enceladus, which was taken on December 25, 2009. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. Light reflected off Saturn is illuminating the moon while the sun, almost directly behind Enceladus, backlights the plumes.

JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP/Getty ImagesThree young girls sit and look at flowers floating in water on July 26, 2011, in Oslo, a day after as many as 150,000 people gathered for a flower vigil in a show of solidarity with the victims of recent attacks in Norway. The country endured its most violent attacks since World War II on July 22 after Anders Behring Breivik, the Norwegian extremist who has claimed responsibility for the crimes, masterminded a car bomb explosion in central Oslo, then a shooting rampage at a youth camp organised by the Labour Party on the island of Utoeya, some 40 km from the capital.

REUTERS/Naseer AhmedA man transports empty water containers on a donkey cart on the street of Quetta July 26, 2011.

REUTERS/Ajay VermaPeople attend a candlelight vigil during "Vijay Diwas" or victory day celebrations in the northern Indian city of Chandigarh July 26, 2011. The Indian army commemorates "Vijay Diwas" annually in memory of the more than 500 soldiers who were killed twelve years ago during the Kargil war with Pakistan in the mountains of Kargil and Drass sectors, at the Line of Control.

ROMEO GACAD/AFP/Getty ImagesAfghan women holding visitor's passes wait at the heavily fortified compound of the Arghandab district government centre in Arghandab district, a former Taliban stronghold, on July 26, 2011. US troops under the International Assistance Force Afghanistan are training Afghan security forces in the area to consolidate the gains, speeding up development work and mentorship programmes for Afghan troops and police ahead of a complete withdrawal by 2014.

REUTERS/Akhtar SoomroSameer, a six-week old internally displaced infant, cries while lying on his father's legs after arriving to higher grounds in Sukkur, in Pakistan's Sindh province July 26, 2011. Sameer and his family took refuge along a highway after leaving their village near Dadu to escape this year's monsoon season. Pakistan remains woefully unprepared for floods this year which a U.N. official said could affect up to 5 million people in a worse-case scenario. The 2010 Pakistan floods left some 2,000 people dead, 11 million homeless and another 7 million were affected. At its height, one-fifth of Pakistan was submerged.

]]>http://news.nationalpost.com/news/photos-of-the-day-july-26-2011/feed1galleryPar6413746Swimming Day Eleven - 14th FINA World ChampionshipsStravius of France competes during men's 100m backstroke final at 14th FINA World Championships in ShanghaiA wave crashes into a ship which broke free from a tow line at Sheffield BeachChildren cool down in a fountain in central MoscowRelatives and family members of the victims scatter rose petals at one of the sites of the July 26, 2008 serial bomb blasts during a prayer ceremony in AhmedabadHkg5157634Hkg5157039Hkg5156949DV_To_Getty_5162051_0Family And Friends Attend The Funeral Of Singer Amy WinehouseSwimming Day Eleven - 14th FINA World Championships105255--1.JPG--A man transports empty water containers on a donkey cart on the street of QuettaPeople attend a candlelight vigil during Vijay Diwas celebrations in ChandigarhDel491899Sameer, a six-week old internally displaced infant, cries while lying on his father's legs after arriving to higher grounds in SukkurPolar bear Knut had brain damage: zoo autopsyhttp://news.nationalpost.com/news/polar-bear-knut-had-brain-damage-zoo-autopsy
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Knut, who was found lifeless in the pool in his enclosure on Saturday afternoon, had shot to fame as a cuddly cub after being abandoned by his mother and reared by hand.

The first public appearance of “Cute Knut” attracted 100 camera crews from around the world and the cub generated millions of euros for Berlin Zoo in lucrative merchandising and extra entrance fees.

But once he grew into a strapping adolescent and then adult, animal welfare groups began to worry that he was displaying abnormal behaviour because of all the attention.

He would sway to and fro and even imitate people taking photos by lifting a paw to his face.

Devastated fans have been leaving flower bouquets, written tributes and photos of Knut at his former den at the zoo, while an online condolence book has drawn more than 4,000 messages.

Meanwhile, a fan organisation started collecting donations for a memorial to the bear.

“Knut will live on in the hearts of many visitors but we want to create something lasting for generations to come with this memorial so that the uniqueness of this animal personality will endure,” the chairman of the Friends of the Capital Zoos, Thomas Ziolko, said.

Agence France-Presse

]]>http://news.nationalpost.com/news/polar-bear-knut-had-brain-damage-zoo-autopsy/feed0stdFile photo of polar bear cub Knut reflected in the water during the bear's first presentation in Berlin zoo, March 23, 2007Videos: The best of Knut the polar bearhttp://news.nationalpost.com/news/videos-the-best-of-knut-the-polar-bear
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Celebrity polar bear Knut died unexpectedly in his enclosure at the Berlin Zoo on Saturday at four years of age.

“This bear not only charmed the people of Berlin but also won hearts around the whole world,” zoo chairman Frank Bruckmann said.

Polar bears usually live 15 to 20 years in the wild and even longer in captivity. The Berlin Zoo is investigating Knut’s death.

Polar bear Knut who became an international star after his mother rejected him and he was raised by his Berlin Zoo keeper died Saturday, a zoo official said.

The cause of four-year-old Knut’s death was not immediately known, Heiner Kloes, in charge of bears at Berlin zoo, said.

Knut collapsed and was found dead in a pool of water.

He was the first bear to be born in captivity in the zoo for 30 years and the first public appearance of “Cute Knut” in March 2007 attracted 100 camera crews from around the world.
He generated millions of dollars in revenue for the Berlin Zoo in lucrative merchandising and extra entrance fees.

Knut weighed nine kilogrammes (19-pounds) at birth and triggered a wave of media coverage after an animal activist said he should have been put down after he and his brother, who later died, were rejected by their mother following their birth in December 2006.

Knut was reared by the zoo, with his keeper Thomas Doerflein bottle-feeding him and strumming Elvis Presley songs for him on his guitar.

Doerflein died at age 44 of a heart attack in 2008.

Later in Knut’s life, he shared his zoo enclosure with his mother, Tosca, and two other females, Nancy and Katjuscha.

But hopes that Knut might form a romantic attachment with one of the females were dashed as stories emerged of violent maulings.

One video posted online showed Katjuscha hurling herself at Knut’s throat, in an apparent attempt to bite him, before tipping him into the water.

]]>http://news.nationalpost.com/news/knut-the-polar-bear-dies-at-berlin-zoo/feed1stdKnut, the polar bear who became a global celebrity as a cute cub, died in Berlin zoo March 19, 2011 aged just four. Knut, the first polar bear born at the zoo for more than 30 years, was rejected by his mother and fed instead by his keeper Thomas Doerflein.Video shows Norwegian sharing sandwiches with a polar bearhttp://news.nationalpost.com/news/video-shows-norwegian-sharing-sandwiches-with-a-polar-bear
http://news.nationalpost.com/news/video-shows-norwegian-sharing-sandwiches-with-a-polar-bear#commentsThu, 06 Jan 2011 14:44:16 +0000http://news.nationalpost.com/?p=40788